organic bedding

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A sure way to make mom happy this Mother’s Day is by giving her the gift of luxury. This year, help your mom relax in style with the company that brings nature home, Coyuchi. The first company to bring organic cotton to the United States, all Coyuchi products are produced using fair–labor practices, and are free of toxic dies, bleaches or finishes used in conventional textiles.

Leitman is also an Author and Editor of the following Green Living books with McGraw-Hill Professional.

RainPerfect™ is a solar-powered pump for use with rain barrels. The RainPerfect pump system uses water harvested in rain barrels by providing enough pressure for your garden hose spray nozzle and to run low-pressure sprinklers. It works with solar energy, which eliminates the need for an electrical outlet. RainPerfect is energy efficient and eco-friendly.

RainPerfect was developed and produced by ITT Corporation’s Flow Control Division.  

Bottom line, I've gotta enough rain and snow to fill up a bucket or two or three to water my lawn.

With abundant snowfall throughout most of the United States this winter season, now is the best time to “think spring” by planning for a greener garden.  In addition to garden design and new plantings, this year is the perfect time to consider ways to “green” your garden through increasedenvironmental efforts. One way to make a big impact is to recycle your rain and turn to the sun. With the new solar-powered RainPerfect™ pump system from the reality of greening your garden just got easier.  The solar RainPerfect pump made its debut in January 2011 and is now available to consumers nationwide for the first time. RainPerfect offers an easy way to be twice as green by using a solar-powered rain barrel pump to gather “off grid” water.

RainPerfect’s features include:

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Leitman is also an Author and Editor of the following Green Living books with McGraw-Hill Professional.

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A Lot To Say Inc is one of my clients with the ETS Energy Store, LLC.  

They have really worked hard to make our tees the ultimate in environmental apparel. And now they can very proudly claim that they are more progressive, more green, more environmentally respectful than any other t-shirt out here.

Here are some facts about why.

Fact:

The majority of traditional t-shirts are made of 100% cotton, polyester, or a 

cotton/polyester blend.

Revolution:

Every A Lot To Say tee is now made entirely of RECYCLED BOTTLES. The materials saved from not having to grow, harvest and process raw materials not only help conserve our planet’s limited resources, they also play a huge part in removing non-biodegradable materials from our landfills.

By removing plastic bottle waste from our landfills, the methane released into the atmosphere is also reduced.

So these t-shirts not only reduce energy consumption by 80%, they eliminate the use of PVC products by 100%. (PVC is the highly carcinogenic plastic, which has the lifespan of hundreds of years and will be in our landfills long after we’re gone.)

Fact:

In 2006, the United States sent over 2 million tons of plastic drink bottles to landfill. These bottles, identified by the number “1” in the recycle symbol are made of the plastic called PET.

Revolution:

Every A Lot To Say tee is made of recycled PET and uses a revolutionary process that allows this discarded PETto be turned into soft, durable and highly sustainable fabrics which are amazing to the eye and touch.

They are not only plush, they have the ability to keep you warm, wick away moisture, release stains, eliminate odors, kill germs and even protect the lives of fire fighter and law enforcement.

Plus, because of this revolutionary process, our shirts “breathe” exceptionally well, allowing moisture to escape while keeping you comfortable. At the same time every one of our tees are softer than silk.

Fact:

Once a drink bottle is collected, it is sent off to a processing facility. There, the bottle is cut into small pieces called flake and then washed. PET flake is then melted into a liquid and shaped into a long, thin fiber. These fibers are then spun into yarn in the same manner as materials such as cotton, wool and other natural products. These yarns are now 100% recycled polyester.

Revolution:

Every A Lot To Say tee is created with this process. By using recycled plastic instead of new petroleum, over 75% of the energy is saved without any additional harm to the environment. No other fiber is produced with less impact.

Fact:

It takes an average of 15-25 gallons of water to traditionally dye just one single t-shirt. 

The coloring of such a garment can consume up to 250 times its weight in water. This water is often taken from critically scarce sources and polluted before being released back into the environment.

Revolution:

Every A Lot To Say tee is now printed by a revolutionary process called AirDye®. This process utilizes a NOWATER printing procedure. That means no water is used for these shirts, thus helping to preserve our precious water supply.

Because AirDye uses no water at the point of coloration, it requires up to 70% less energy and produces no hazardous by-products. By eliminating water, AirDye technology would save trillions of gallons, the amount currently used to treat and color all man-made textiles.

This water could, in turn be used for far more important things, like feeding the planet and providing for a clean, safe environment. Not to mention, this process reduces national water pollution by 91%.

Fact:

Most traditional bamboo, polyester and cotton (what most tees are made from) aren’t healthy for the planet. They require a huge amount of processing to make them soft, releasing airborne pollution and toxins into the air.

Revolution:

Every A Lot To Say tee is now 100% free of toxins. In fact, they require 70% less energy to produce, thus eliminating hazardous by-products. That means our process can protect babies, children and adults. So unlike most dyes that lay on the body, no toxins will ever touch the people we love.

By the way, this incredible process also reduces green house emissions by 79%.

Fact:

Recycled polyester is tougher than cotton. A polyester shirt lasts longer. Up to five times longer in fact. A longer life means buying fewer shirts, which means less resources consumed. Not to mention the money you save.

Revolution:

Every A Lot To Say tee has the ability to recycle that same shirt into yet more RPET and recycled polyester and back into a new garment . That means no products going to landfill. How many times can a product come back again and again? Generations, at the very least. This brings new meaning to the term “hand me down.”

Fact:

We have made a choice to use recycled polyester in our shirts because we believe that it is the right thing to do. Each shirt we make is one less made from the earth’s very limited resources.

Revolution:

Every A Lot To Say tee is a revolution for all the reasons we just shared with you. Please join us in doing our part to make this planet greener, healthier and happier.

Fact: 

Most inks used to print on t-shirts contain PVC–a highly carcinogenic plastic that’s harmful to the environment and stays in our landfills for hundreds of years.

Revolution:

With AirDye technology, there are no PVC or toxins in the inks. Every A Lot To Say tee is now 100% free of toxins. Ultimately, our process helps protect babies, children and adults.

Fact:

It is 50-60% percent less expensive to make t-shirts outside the USA, which is why almost every single t-shirt manufacturer does just that.

Revolution:

Every A Lot To Say tee is created, dyed, sewed, manufactured and shipped within the USA. Every day, the making of these shirts keep people employed, keep jobs here in the USA and protest the conditions of sweatshop labor.

Fuel Short Sleeved Women’s Tee for $35.99

cost of Mark Seiden's solar powered installed and the ROI of over $48,000

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PV Panel install for a business

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Mark Seiden has always felt strongly about environmental causes and the need to go “green.” So, about two years ago, at his office located at 1238 Pleasantville Road, Briarcliff Manor, he made a small change in his operations by installing CFL bulbs. This year, he made an even bigger decision - to go solar with the help of Sunrise Solar Solutions, LLC.   Sunrise installed solar photovoltaic panels on Seiden’s roof which will result in thousands of dollars in savings over the next 20 plus years. Seiden claims that “installing a renewable energy system on his roof was a slam dunk! I needed to show my clients that solar is a sensible investment!”

Sunrise Solar Solutions, LLC is NAPCEP Certified (North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners).  Eric and Hillary Messer of Briarcliff Manor own Sunrise Building & Remodeling, Inc. and Sunrise Solar Solutions, LLC.  And, Sunrise Building & Remodeling, Inc. did all the renovation work at Seiden’s office so this was a perfect fit for all companies.  Sunrise Solar Solutions, LLC installed a 5.18 kW solar system using a more intelligent inverter system to maximize the energy collected by the panels. While some inverters measure overall consumption, Seiden will know how much EACH panel is generating in electricity, regularly and in real time.

Energy Savings!!

According to Sunrise, most systems start making you money by Year 5 on commercial installations. Over the life of the system, Seiden will be saving about$48,000 - $57,000!*

While these are only approximations for Seiden, if you were to finance your solar system at 6.25 percent for nine years and put down 10 percent of the net or $9,800, you would get your down payment back after Year 1 and be cash positive from then on. You would save an average of $3,900 per year during the loan period and over $11,000 per year when your loan is paid off.

According to Seiden, “I really am pleased about the value added to my building. Plus, it’s terrific that the system is exempt from any tax assessment increase.”

And, by coincidence or fate, the Village of Briarcliff Manor approved the building permit for Seiden’s office on Earth Day!  And already, Sunrise was able to connect Seiden’s solar installation to the grid and have his meter go backwards. What a site that is to see! It’s a meter running backwards! It’s Red, White, Blue and Green all over.

* Source: Sunrise Solar Solutions, LLC 

Leitman is also an Author and Editor of the following Green Living books with McGraw-Hill Professional.

LED Bulb on the cover of the Green Lighting book

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Excerpt from my book Green Lighting

LEDs offer a number of promising environmental benefits, and they are often viewed as the future of green lighting. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), LEDs eventually could reduce by 50 percent the amount of energy we use for lighting globally and reduce by 10 percent the total amount of electricity we use.

LEDs could reduce projected 2025 global carbon emissions by 300 megatons per year while creating new jobs.

To break this down, on average, generating a single kilowatthour of electricity produces 1.34 pounds (610 grams) of CO2 emissions.  If the average light bulb is on for 10 hours a day, a single 40-watt incandescent bulb will generate 196 pounds (89 kilograms) of CO2 a year. However, a 13-watt LED equivalentwill only produce

63 pounds (29 kilograms) of CO2 over the same time.

A building’s carbon footprint from lighting therefore can be slashed by 68 percent

by swapping out all incandescents for LEDs. It’s also true that the long life of LEDs should mean that fewer resources will be needed to produce and maintain lighting equipment. And the fact that LEDs lack mercury is a clear advantage.  It is perhaps not surprising, then, that governments and private companies around the world have invested millions of dollars in research on LEDs.

Cost

Let’s get the big one out of the way first. It’s certainly true that LEDs cost more than conventional lighting right now—at least when we’re talking about upfront prices. However, it’s essential to look at the total cost of ownership, including energy and maintenance costs, and in that case, it’s not the price of the bulb that is the biggest piece of the pie. In their lifetimes, LEDs save a chunk of change over incandescent

and halogen lighting, and they are starting to get close to competing with fluorescents.

This is not to say that LEDs are for everyone and every application right now. David Bergman, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)Accredited Professional (AP) architect and designer of the green lighting line Fire & Water, said that he doesn’t think LEDs make that much sense for typical home owners just yet although he has recently started to design a few fixtures for them.

Bergman’s cautious-yet-optimistic approach to the technology is common in the industry. “Right now, CFLs are a better buy when you’re talking about general lighting for the home,” Michael Smith, vice president of the Energy Solutions Group for lighting controls maker Lutron, said in a phone interview.

Why Sales of LED Bulbs Are Rising

Sales of such retrofit LED bulbs are rising because the economics do work out favorably in the long term. However, it’s impossible to ignore that the initial sticker shock is still a deterrent, particularly in a recession,when budgets are tight. Still,most experts expect LED costs to continue plummeting and quality to rise.

It’s also true that integrated LED lighting systems can work better than retrofit screwin

bulbs, so LEDs can be more attractive for new construction.

In 2007, the global market for LED lighting reached $337 million, up from $205million in 2006, according to a report by Strategies Unlimited. The majority of uses in 2007 were for architectural lighting, signs, and accent lighting. Strategies Unlimited predicts that the worldwide market for LEDs will reach $1.65 billion by 2012. The DOE and the Optoelectronics Industry Development Association have estimated that by the year 2025, LEDs will be the preferred method of lighting in homes and offices.

Leitman is also an Author and Editor of the following Green Living books with McGraw-Hill Professional.